The movable feast

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Jul 16, 2003 by Valerie Phillips Deseret Morning News

Picnics can be as elaborate as white tablecloths and crystal stemware, as casual and impromptu as last night's leftovers packed in Tupperware, or finger foods bought at the grocery store on your way to the park. You don't necessarily need a fancy basket -- many a fine picnic has been packed in laundry baskets, wooden bushel baskets and other containers you have on hand.

Coolers-on-wheels and insulated bags are now on the market to make summer picnics easier than ever.

Then there are backpacks, which have virtually taken over the picnic-basket sales at Spoons 'n' Spice cookware store, according to owner Joe Granato. The backpacks have plates, cups, utensils and other accessories inside.

Here are some ideas for your next picnic:

-- If you don't want to fuss with coolers, choose items that taste good served at room temperature. But perishable food shouldn't sit at room temperature longer than two hours -- or one hour if the temperature is above 90 degrees, according to USDA guidelines. By then, harmful bacteria that cause food poisoning rapidly multiply. If your total travel, waiting and eating time exceeds this, you'll need a cooler to keep meats and salads cold or an insulated container to keep hot foods hot. USDA guidelines say cold foods should be kept at or below 40 degrees; hot food should be kept above 140 degrees.

-- To help keep foods cold, chill them in the refrigerator before packing. Keep them in the cooler until serving time rather than setting them out on the picnic table.

-- Get double duty from fruit drinks or water by freezing them in plastic containers. They can act as ice packs to keep the picnic cool in transit, and by the time you get there they've melted enough to sip with your meal.

-- Avoid anything that could become drippy or limp in hot weather. Gelatin salad turns to soup -- a bean salad or pasta salad will hold up better. Frosting will melt right off your cake in the sun; cookies are a more stable dessert.

-- Consider your setting. If there's no table, you'll need foods you can balance while sitting on a blanket. If you're making sandwiches, avoid moist fillings that will make the bread soggy, or choose dense, hearty breads. Or try cold chicken that you can hold in a napkin and eat with your fingers.

-- Cheese and fruit are a popular pair. Pre-slice the cheese so you don't have to do that at your destination. Other portable -- and healthful -- snacks are baby carrots, celery sticks, cherries, strawberries and string cheese.

-- Place heavy items on the bottom and those that are fragile (bread, tomatoes) on top. Or put the fragile items in plastic containers.

-- Disposables are easy, but if you want to "think green," use cloth napkins (they won't blow away like paper ones), a plastic tablecloth that can be thrown in the wash, reusable plates and cups and dish cloths that can be taken home in a Tupperware container instead of paper towels.

-- Don't forget a trash bag. Some parks have a policy that if you pack it in, you pack it out, instead of using garbage cans.

-- You can find snazzy accessories at the cookware stores to liven up the event -- pretty cups and plates, clips to keep your tablecloth from blowing away in the slightest breeze, or wicker holders to make paper plates less flimsy.

Back to basics

Keep a basket stocked with non-perishable items, so when the mood for a picnic strikes, it's a matter of just adding the food.

Napkins

Plates

Cups

Plastic knives, forks and spoons

Serving utensils

Knife for slicing

Can opener

Salt and pepper shakers

Garbage bag

Paper towels

Condiments

Insect repellent

E-MAIL: vphillips@desnews.com